Meta first unveiled its smart glasses in 2023, an AI-powered collaboration with Ray-Ban that turned out to be hugely controversial.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg was hoping to achieve ‘personal superintelligence’, instead, the innovation was labelled ‘pervert glasses’.
There have been reports of the fashion statement being used to secretly film strangers, raising questions of harassment, particularly for women and girls.
Wetherspoons, some major theatres, Comic-Con, some schools and Faslane – the UK’s nuclear submarine base – have all banned usage.
Meta has now confirmed that they will be releasing camera-free versions, called Ray-Ban Meta Audio.
These will have all the audio abilities of the original glasses, including making calls and playing music directly into your ears, but without the privacy concerns.
According to the BBC, Meta has denied that the product was rushed out after the backlash and has been in the works for two years.
Meta Glasses’ head of product Ankit Brahmbhatt told the outlet they have ‘something for everyone’ when questioned if this could overtake the camera-enabled version’s sales.
The new version is said to be a lighter frame and have better battery life, as well as being cheaper. The current glasses start from £220.
Meta’s safety guidelines say the device shouldn’t be used for ‘harassment, infringing on privacy rights, or capturing sensitive information’.
Women across social media have shared how they were filmed by men without their consent, both publicly and in private.
One woman claimed to the BBC that she was ‘humiliated’ by a video shared of her online, filmed covertly using Meta glasses, which was viewed about 40,000 times.
She said he had offered her a ‘paid service’ when she asked to remove it, leaving her feeling ‘exploited’ and ‘powerless’.
The man told the BBC in an email he ‘does not seek to cause distress or harm’.
The Metropolitan Police did open an investigation but ‘despite initial enquiries, officers were unable to progress due to limited information’.
Earlier this year, the glasses were banned in courts across the UK, with judicial buildings confiscating them from anyone trying to enter with them.
In March, a claimant was accused by a High Court judge of wearing smart glasses to receive ‘coaching’ while giving evidence.
According to the BBC, Judge Raquel Agnello KC asked Laimonas Jakstys to remove the glasses, which he did and then ‘seemed to pause quite a bit’ while answering questions.
It was later found that he had been ‘assisted or coached in his replies to questions put to him during cross-examination’ during the January trial.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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